Improvement in locomotive-carriages



R. WINANS.

Locomotive.

4 Sheets- Sheet I.

No. 4,812. Patented 0m. 14, 1846.

AM. .PROTD- l-JITHO-CO. N.Y. (OSBOR NE'S PRO C255.)

' Q 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. R. WINANS.

' Locomotive.

' No. 4,812. v Patented Get. 14. 1846.

v 4 Sheets-Shet 3. R. WINANS.

Locomotive.

No. 4,812. Patented Oct 14, I846.

AM-PHO'I'O-LITHQCQNX. (OSBORNE'S PROCESS) R. W| NANS.

Locomotive.

No. 4,812. Patented Oct. 14, 1846' AM. PHOTO 'LITH 0. C(LNN. (USBDRN E'SPRO CES S.)

4 Sheets-Shet 4.

name STATES PATE T Games;

ROSS \VINANS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCOMOTtVE-CARRIAGES,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4l,}12, dated Ocfoh r1!, [$43.

To ELZZIZUZLOIH/ it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Ross WINANs, of the city of Baltimore, in the Stateof Maryland, civil engineer. have made an improvement in the manner ofconstructing locomotive steamengines to be used on railroads with six oreight driving-wheels; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description thereof.

In the combination and arrangement-of some of its parts-my improvedlocomotivesteamengine resembles one that was built by Mr. Hopkins Thomaswith the six driving-wheels, and which was used on the Beaver MeadowRailroad; but his engine was found to be objectionable on account of itstoo great tendency to run off the road, to obviate which and to increasethe number of drivin avheels and points of bearing on the rail from fourto six or eight are among the objects of my improvement.

In the accompanying drawings I have represented my improved engine undertwo different modifications or modes of construction.

Figure 1 is an engine with six wheels, all of which are driving-wheels,two pairs of driving-wheels being in front of and one pair behind thefire-box. Fig. 2 is a similar engine with all the driving-wheels beforethe fire-box. Fig. 3 is an engine with eight wheels, all of which aredriving-wheels, with the cylinders in an inclined position. Fig. 4: is asimilar engine drawn to a larger scale, with the cyl inders in ahorizontal position, which position is preferred.

The motive power from the steam-cylinder A (in the accompanyingdrawings) is communicated directly to the pair of dri'vingwheels B bymeans of connecting-rods 0 operating on crank-pins 011 one pair of thesaid drivingwheels or cranks on their axles, the connecting-rods D Doperating upon cranks on the other axles in a manner well understood, soas to make all six or eight wheels driving-wheels.

The axles of the respective pairs of wheels are placed permanentlyparallel to each other, and to enable the wheels to arrange themselvesin a position to pass readily around curves on the road or through.switches a lateral or end play is allowed the axles when all the wheelsare furnished with flanges. This lateral play of the axles and wheelsmay be obtained in various ways; but the mode which I prefer is facilityupon curves of short radius and through switches, one of the twofollowing devices may be allowed: First, a lateral play of about an inchto each axle may be allowed, or double that play on the middle axle oraxles if the end ones have only the usual play; or, secondly, thislateral or end play may be dis pensed with and the capacity ofadaptation be still retained by forming the middle pair or pairs ofwheels without flanges. To equalize the pressure 011 the respectivedrivingwheels, and consequently to distribute the weight or bearing ofthe locomotive on the rails on six or eight points, and the better topreserve the'proper distribution 'of the weight on each of the wheelswhen passing over the uneven parts of the road, a vibrating spring suchas is shown at a a in the respective drawings may be used. Thisvibrating spring turns 011 a fulcrum, 1), below its center, and the rods0 0 bear 011 its ends and upon the upper boxes of the two contiguousdriving-wheels. A device analogous to this, consisting of a vibratinglever and spring-has been used by lfIessrs. Eastwick and Harrison onalocomotive-engine for which they obtained Letters Patent. A similardevice was also used by Mr. Hopkins Thomas. The axles of the respectivepairs of wheels of Mr. Thom'ass engine were also arranged permanently toeach other, and lateral play was allowed to the axles and wheels, asherein described, for the purpose of promoting the easy passage throughcurves and turnouts, and the steam-power was transmitted from thecylinder to the respective drivingwheels by means of cranks andconnectingrods, as herein described.

The above devices mentioned as having been used by Mr. Hopkins Thomas Ido not consider as new, either taken individually or in theircombination with each other, they having been used and combined witheach other, as above remarked, by that gentleman in the construction ofan engine with six propellingwheels, but without producing thereby a machine possessing the advantages obtained by myimprovement or capable ofpassing through the curves and turn-outs of the road with the requisiteease, facility, and safety. By combining with the said devices the useof wheels with flanges of chilled cast-iron, a new and originalcombination isobtained, and the difficulty of using six or eightdriving-wheels with their axles parallel to each other will be obviatedwithout danger from running off the track and with the requisitefacilityof passing through curves and turn-outs, as I haveexperimentally ascertained. With the ordinary drivingwheels withwrought-iron flanges this would not be the case.

I do not intend to claim the use of drivingwheels for engines withflanges of chilled castiron as new when taken alone; but wheels withchilled cast-iron flanges'are an element which, when combined withthe'other devices enumerated or with devices substantially the same andwith six or eight driving-wheels, forms a new combination, which is anew and useful improvement. Chilled cast-iron flanges to the wheelswhich guide an engine on the track promote a more easy and safe transitthrough curves and turn-outs and along the entire road than would be thecase were wheels with wrought-iron flanges used-an advantage which isvaluable and important in pro portion as the distance between the frontand hind axles of an engine having its axles parallel is increased. Theextreme hardness of the chilled cast-iron flange causes it to preserveits original and proper shape much better than a wrought-iron flange.This better preservation of the form, together with the extreme hardnessand the smoothness of the chilled cast-iron flanges, insure theirgliding off the rails instead of mounting them, and the engine isthereby guided along the track with greater safety and with lessresistance to the moving power than could be done by wheels havingwrought-iron flanges, all other things being equal.

Having thus fully set forth the nature of my improvement, what I claim,and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

Theemployment of wheels with chilled castiron flanges, in combinationwith an engine having six or eight driving-wheels with axles parallel toeach other, and accommodating itself to curves and turn-outs by any ofthe devices or modes herein described for that purpose, and having thepower applied to all the axles by connecting-rods and cranks.

ROSS XVINANS.

Vit n esses:

J NO. H. B. LATROBE, EDWIN L. B'RUNDAGE.

